Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Day 2

Played tourists – walked up Mt PhuSi – right in the middle of Luang Prabang it offers amazing views of the city.Don’t know how many stairs – lots – and there is a sign about half way up saying “only 190 more steps to go.” A big gold chedi on the top can be seen from all over town.

After lunch we got a boat up to Pak Ou caves – 2 hrs upstream, river life here is pretty amazing, little villages all along the banks and, of all things a floating petrol station!We decided not to stop at the whisky village on the way.

The caves are amazing - the lower one is crammed full of little Buddha images – mostly the standing kind, apparently the position of their arms has something to do with auspicious days.Then there is another mammoth set of stairs up to the second cave.You need a torch to see in here.Views of the Mekong from both caves and from the walk up to the top cave are spectacular.

No storm tonight so out for dinner and then again to the night markets.Dinner was a real treat – We ate at Yongkhone and it cost the ridiculous amount of 110,000 kip (about $13) and included Mekong Waterweed (yum!), larb and chilli& garlic beef, beer lao dark and a lao iced coffee (the strongest coffee I’ve ever drunk – might as well have been mainlining it!)

Night markets after dinner – Tony got 2 tee shirts for $5 and I bought a very cool pair of pants for $12.Earlier in the day I bought some long baggy duds for about $6.Iced coffee at the Ancient bakery was 18,000kip ($2.20) and this place was doing a roaring trade selling cakes & other bakery goodies.

when the internet here is alittle faster I'll post some pics. I'm not ccomplaining because it's free wifi